The present invention relates generally to dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval, and more particularly to a specific record carrier structure wherein the record is operationally in the form of a disk.
The business or calling card has a long history and is widespread in almost all modern society today. Such cards contain human visible indicia on a front face, and are typically blank or contain a small amount of additional visible indicia one the back face. These cards have, however, proven quite cost effective even for distributing the small amount of data which they can carry. They are typically made of inexpensive paper or plastic material to begin with, and their manufacture, typically by printing and cutting from larger stock is also notably inexpensive. In use, these cards are easily stored, transported, and distributed in bulk. When they are received, individually, all of this prompts their recipients to store those cards considered important and otherwise readily dispose of them.
Unfortunately, the business or calling card has not evolved as modern society has. Today we use machines to assist us by collecting, storing, categorizing, acting on data, and deleting it when finished with it. It would be nice if the business or calling card could be used by our machines for this, particularly by electronic and computerized devices like personal computers, cellular telephones, and navigation systems, but viable systems for this have yet to appear. This can be appreciated by examining some examples of attempts to modernized the business or calling card.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,219 by Tanaka teaches a calling card with visible data on one side and magnetically encoded data in stripes on another side. The encoded data in the card is read by passing (linearly) the card through a reader. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest encoding data which can be read rotationally, adding identifiers to facilitate use of the encoded data, or the reader being able to automatically or particularly act on specific types of the encoded data.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,493,105 by Desai teaches a business card system with printed data on one side and encoded data in a magnetic stripe on another side. The encoded data in the card is read by passing (linearly) the card through a reader, and the reader may be coupled to a computer control system (e.g., a conventional personal computer) able to automatically act on some types of the encoded data. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest encoding data which can be read rotationally.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,099 by Smith teaches a memory card system with encoded data in a magnetizable layer on one side (provision for printed data is apparently not contemplated). The memory card is read by rotating the card in a large assembly relative to an external fixed reference. A specialized tray may be used for mounting the memory card into a readout apparatus. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest visible data, encoding data which can be read linearly, encoding data which can be read rotationally (wherein the card is rotated about an axis there through), or the reader being able to automatically or particularly act on specific types of the encoded data.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,618 by Ravi teaches a business card system with printed indicia on one side and data in a magnetic strip on another side. The magnetic strip may be rectangular, for linear reading, or may be curvilinear to permit mounting the business card on a sheet which in turn, is mounted in a floppy diskette carrier that is inserted into a conventional 5-xc2xcxe2x80x3 floppy disk drive to read the card. Accordingly, card here also is read by rotation in a large assembly relative to an fixed reference external to the card itself. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest encoding data which can be read rotationally (wherein the card is rotated about an axis there through), or the reader being able to automatically or particularly act on specific types of the encoded data.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,757 and 6,011,677 by Rose teach data storage cards and an adapter to read the cards (rotationally) in a personal computer floppy disk drive. Visible data may appear on one side of the card and magnetically encoded data on another side. Single or dual openings enable the card to be engaged within the adapter, aligned, and rotated for reading. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest encoding data which can be read linearly, or the reader being able to automatically or particularly act on specific types of the encoded data. It also depends on the use of its openings in the card, which are unconventional in business and calling cards, and particularly tends to interfere with the visible data if such were present in its conventional location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,744 by Kamo et al. teaches a magnetic (and optical) card system encoded data in arcs (or regions read as arcs) on one side. Printed or visible data is apparently not mentioned, but reference to the card as a replacement for prior art business and credit cards suggests such is contemplated. This card is intended for use in a specialized, dual-head unit. While the dual read heads do rotate about axes passing through the card, neither axis is centered with respect to the card. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest encoding data which can be read linearly, or the reader being able to automatically or particularly act on specific types of the encoded data. The mechanism necessary for reading the card is also quite unconventional, as can readily be appreciated by the figures in this reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,125 by Szabo teaches a data input card including a picture or text field, miniature map segments (images), and bar-coded data which provides coordinates of a destination point. The card is electro-optically read by insertion into a slot in a global positioning system (GPS) device, which presents one of the miniature map segments (images having different map scales are taught) on a display and which instructs a user, visibly or audibly, how to reach the destination point based on the bar-coded data and a current position determined with the GPS device. As such, this prior art does not teach or suggest magnetic encoding, or reading data rotationally. In particular, the GPS device is also unconventional when the optical map segment viewer, bar code reader, and audio capabilities are provided.
In sum, none of the known prior art combines both linear and true (about a central card axis) rotational read capability. This art, generally, also contemplates using either simple linear, swipe motion type readers or complex linear or curvilinear motion type readers which will not work in modern 3.5xe2x80x3 form factor assemblies desired in equipment such as today""s personal computers. Furthermore, the awkwardness of even the present linear motion type systems is emphasized by the fact that common devices, like cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) have not incorporated small, cheap linear type read heads. To the extent that the known prior art does provide any ability to automatically act on data, such is accomplished with unconventional and expensive equipment. Accordingly, the benefits of the ubiquitous business or calling card have yet to be effectively and economically realized in our modern, mechanized society and a more suitable information card system is needed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system for distributing data which is, at least in part, visually readable by human users and also, at least in part machine readable.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a system for distributing data which substitutes for or expands upon the role of the conventional business or calling card.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a system which may employ a both linear and rotary type machine readers.
And another object of the invention is to provide such a system which may employ a disposable media for storing the data being distributed.
Briefly, one preferred embodiment of the present invention is a system for distributing data. The system includes an information card which resembles a conventional business card. The information card has visually-recognizable indicia on its front surface, in the manner of conventional business cards, and it has at least one stripe zone and a ring zone on its said back surface. At least one of these zones is suitable for magnetically recording the data. The stripe zones are aligned parallel with opposed edges of the information card and are readable with respect to the data recorded therein by passing the information card through a linear read mechanism. The ring zone is centered about a central axis through the information card and is readable with respect to the data recorded therein by passing said information card through a rotational read mechanism. A reader for reading the data magnetically recorded in the information card is further provided, wherein the reader contains a linear read mechanism or a rotational read mechanism.
Briefly, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is an information card for distributing data, such as the information card described for the first preferred embodiment, above.
Briefly, a third preferred embodiment of the present invention is a mounting cartridge for mounting an information card, such as the information card described for the first preferred embodiment, above, when the reader is a conventional floppy disk drive having a read head and a spindle with a central axis. The mounting cartridge includes a bottom cover, a top cover, a hinge connecting the covers in a clamshell-like manner, and a latch for manually locking the covers together to contain the information card inside the mounting cartridge. When closed, the mounting cartridge has dimensions equivalent to a conventional diskette cartridge as commonly used in the floppy disk drive. The mounting cartridge further includes a hub which is centrally and rotatably mounted in the bottom cover. The hub has an upper side which is flat and substantially coplanar with the covers when the mounting cartridge is closed. The hub also has a lower side shaped to engage with the spindle of the floppy disk drive when the mounting cartridge is loaded into the floppy disk drive. The top cover includes a centrally located rotatable unit against which the information card is pressably held by the hub when it is engaged by the spindle of the floppy disk drive. And the bottom cover includes a port permitting access by the read head of the floppy disk drive to the data magnetically stored in the ring zone of the information card when the mounting cartridge with the information card is loaded into the floppy disk drive.
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a system for distributing data in manners which are visually readable by human users and also magnetically readable by both linear and rotary type reading machines.
Another advantage of the invention is that its media, an xe2x80x9cinformation card,xe2x80x9d may be chosen to resemble conventional business or calling cards, with visually readable indicia for human users on one side and magnetically recorded data on another side. The information card may also be constructed largely of similar materials as conventional business or calling cards, making the information cards easy and inexpensive to manufacture, and encouraging their ready and wide distribution. Those receiving the information card may simply dispose of them as they see fit.
Another advantage of the invention is that the data which is stored magnetically may be stored with data identifiers, so that the reader may store the data or act automatically with respect to it when reading such a data identifier.
Another advantage of the invention is that the magnetically stored data may be stored in multiple manners. For example, multiple machine readable formats can be supported and the data can be stored in multiple languages.
Another advantage of the invention is it may employ popular and widely available mechanisms for reading the data being distributed. The information card media can be swiped linearly through a linear reader. Many linear readers are already in use, and adding such to systems like cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) is quite feasible because of the potential small size and low cost of linear reader mechanisms. Alternately, the information card media can be rotated in the manner of a disk in a rotary reader. Many rotary readers are also already in use, such as the very common example of removable disk drive units in personal computers.
And another advantage of the invention is that the information card can be mounted in a cartridge which, in turn, is mounted in a conventional floppy disk drive to read the information card.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the best presently known mode of carrying out the invention and the industrial applicability of the preferred embodiment as described herein and as illustrated in the several figures of the drawings.